1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to garments capable of selectively warming or cooling a user, and more specifically to a garment, such as a surgical scrub shirt, having pockets or other means for accommodating the insertion of heating or cooling packs in selected areas for the localized application of heating or cooling.
2. Background Art
The ambient temperatures of some work environments are beyond a worker's control, and can be quite uncomfortable. By way of example, a surgeon working in an operating room may have little control over room temperature. Other factors, including the needs of the patient, or required ambient temperatures for operating equipment, may take priority over the surgeon's comfort. Further compounding matters, the stress of surgery may exacerbate the perception of temperature by the surgeon, thereby making it “feel” hotter or colder that it actually is.
To make matters worse, while the worker may have little control over the ambient temperature, they may also have little control over their own wardrobe. Many workers, for example, are required to wear a particular uniform. As such, these workers are unable to simply “put on a sweater” or change to a “lighter weight shirt,” as this would deviate from the uniform specifications. Turning back to the example of the surgeon, most doctors in operating rooms wear “scrubs” which are thin, lightweight, cotton garments. When a doctor wearing scrubs feels too hot, there is little option for lighter, thinner clothing.
There is thus a need for an improved garment capable of selectively heating or cooling a wearer.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.